And prescribed bounds for it: prescribed translates a word whose usual meaning is “break.” However, the literal rendering of this line, “and I broke on it my boundary,” leaves the sense uncertain. Prescribed follows the Septuagint and Vulgate. Most translations follow the Septuagint here with a verb meaning “set, place” without explaining how they have arrived at this meaning. Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, however, has “I set a limit,” and in the footnote it has “ ‘set’ is according to an ancient version.” New Jerusalem Bible has “When I made breakers My limit for it.” “Breakers” probably refers to the breaking of the sea waves on the shore. Bible en français courant has “I have broken its onrush, marked its limit,” and Traduction œcuménique de la Bible is the same in the first clause. These translations supply an object for the verb “break” and refer to the bursting forth of the sea, which seems to fit well with the next line. If this is not followed, something like Good News Translation may be used.

And set bars and doors refers most probably to the natural barriers along the sea coast, such as cliffs, which prevent the ocean from flooding the land, as was expressed in verse 8a, where the word “doors” was used for the same purpose. Bars refers to the iron bars laid across the inside of a pair of double doors to prevent them from being pushed open, or as Good News Translation says, “bolted gates.” This line may be expressed, for example, “and shut it behind closed doors” or “and closed the doors to shut it in.” If this kind of imagery is not suitable, we may also say, for example, “and would not let it flood the land” or “and stopped it from running over the land.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, Wiliam. A Handbook on Job. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1992. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .